by MJF needed a sudden death, but he was able to submit to Bryan Danielson to regain his AEW Heavyweight Championship in the main event at AEW Revolution.
In the first 20 minutes of the match we saw a bit of everything – mat wrestling, MJF wasting time and Danielson’s risk taking. MJF pinched his knee outward on a moonsault, which would later hurt him again.
After a series of false pins, the challenger earned the first fall with the Busaiku knee. Immediately afterwards, Danielson was about to hit another Busaiku knee, but MJF hit him with a disqualification low blow to give him a 2-0 advantage. MJF then rolled up Danielson for a pin, then pinned him again to level at 2-2.
Danielson and MJF went back and forth mid-game, with the challenger attacking the champion’s injured knee. He slammed him against the ring post and held him in a four-legged lock until MJF was able to escape. On the ring apron, Danielson gave MJF leg kicks while the champion attacked his injured shoulder. MJF dragged Danielson to the table and ring, then dropped an elbow off the top rope through the table at him. Danielson got in the ring before the 10 to hold the match level.
MJF brought Danielson back to the broken table and stomped him through what was left of the table, resulting in a wound to his head. MJF then landed the heat seeker for the pinfall and the 3-2 advantage. MJF taunted Danielson, yelled about his kids, claimed to be the best in the world and demanded a fight from the challenger.
With 15 minutes to go, MJF appeared to be on cruise control. Danielson countered a throw into the ring apron and then hit two springboard attempts on MJF. Back in the ring, Danielson dropped MJF with the spider suplex and then landed a diving headbutt that opened MJF. With 10 minutes left, Danielson landed another Busaiku knee, then pieced together the LeBell lock and earned the assist to make it 3-3.
MJF worked his way into Salt of the Earth, but Danielson was able to roll out and try the LeBell lock again. MJF converted to a pin attempt and after a two count, Salt of the Earth again. Danielson was pulled off the rope as he approached and barely got a foot on the rope as MJF stretched him.
On their knees in the center of the ring, Danielson and MJF traded punches. They worked their way to their feet, continued to exchange shots, and then fell back to their knees. With five minutes to go, both Danielson and MJF got up and exploded into gunfire and chest slaps. MJF then poked Danielson in the eye. On the apron, MJF landed the heat seeker again for the two count.
With less than three minutes to go, MJF landed a top rope tombstone, but it took the champion over a minute to crawl for the pin and only counted two. Danielson then returned to the one-legged crab with a minute remaining. He crawled to the rope but couldn’t reach it. Danielson pulled him to the center of the ring and sat on the one-legged crab while the clock counted down and MJF acquiesced when the 60-minute timer was up.
After it was announced that the match ended in a tie, Tony Schiavone came to the ring to announce the match would result in a sudden death while Danielson over-excited the crowd and MJF was administered oxygen.
MJF urged the ref to open the extended fight and got an illegal low blow with the ref distracted for a count to two. MJF tried to hit Danielson with the belt, and using the referee’s back, he twisted the Dynamite Diamond Ring out of his pants. Danielson then dropped him with the Busaiku knee for the two count. Danielson then caged the one-legged crab. MJF made his way to the ropes, then tapped. Danielson then searched for MJF, and MJF hit him with the oxygen tank and locked the LeBell lock to an unconscious Danielson.
Danielson started struggling before finally getting out.
